Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Save more on your purchases! discount-offer-chevron-icon
Savings automatically calculated. No voucher code required.
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Mastering iOS Game Development
Mastering iOS Game Development

Mastering iOS Game Development: Mastering iOS Game Development

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Peter Ahlgren Profile Icon DeQuadros
Arrow right icon
$48.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Dec 2015 228 pages 1st Edition
eBook
$9.99 $39.99
Paperback
$48.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Peter Ahlgren Profile Icon DeQuadros
Arrow right icon
$48.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Dec 2015 228 pages 1st Edition
eBook
$9.99 $39.99
Paperback
$48.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m
eBook
$9.99 $39.99
Paperback
$48.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Mastering iOS Game Development

Chapter 2. Creating the Stuff

Now that you have Xcode all set up, I know you are excited to get started on developing your awesome new game! However, as you know, we have to start slow! All games have assets, such as a 3D model, an image, or super awesome sound effects. If you don't know anything about stuff like this, then you've come to the right place! In this chapter we are going to discuss:

  • Creating or obtaining assets for your game
  • Creating an optimized asset
  • Designing your game

This is where you can start to get really creative! Once you start designing the building blocks of your awesome new project, the fun really begins.

Some assets will be easy to create, some will require a little more effort, some may involve paying people to create them for you, and some may require downloading free assets, as shown in the following image:

Creating the Stuff

Enough intro, let's roll!

Let's talk assets

Assets are the building blocks of your game. They will essentially make up 100 percent of your game, regardless of whether you are creating a 3D blockbuster, or a 2D platformer as we will in this book.

There are various assets you will either create, purchase, or have created for you for your project. Let's break them down.

Sprites

What?! Don't worry, not a watery sprite as in, say, Homer's The Odyssey. When it comes to video game assets, sprites are essentially images that are used in your game. See that Mario image in the intro of this chapter? That right there is a sprite. Sprites can also be used for special effects, such as 2D lens flares or particles. Sprites are usually created in sprite sheets containing characters and their animations, such as the following image, which is a ripped sprite sheet from one of the many Megaman titles:

Sprites

Sprites can be super easy to create, or they can be massively complex and take many hours to draw. Yes, draw. Sprites...

Creating optimized assets

Let's start with creating optimized sprites for the best performance. How will this affect performance? Think of a game as a video, and your device as the DVD player, or even your TV. The game plays frame by frame and your device displays each frame. However, it has to render each frame. This happens so fast you will never notice it, but now imagine your device has to render large images (let's think dialup internet loading a huge photo). It can take longer and because the device has to work harder, the battery will drain quicker.

This is only one reason that can slow performance; we will discuss other reasons further on.

In the following figure, I've drawn a character design from my last book, and I drew him in Photoshop:

Creating optimized assets

For your information, his name is Kevin. It doesn't look like much does it? Here are the details of the drawing:

  • Image size: 52px x 52px
  • Color space: RGB
  • Compression: None at the moment
  • File type: Unsaved

I went ahead and saved the...

How to design your game

Game design can be a lot of fun, especially when you get a really great idea and you just keep rolling with it and adding more bits and pieces to it. No doubt you already have an idea for your game, but it's always a great idea to put things down in writing. I tell people this all the time, write it down, or you'll either forget it completely, or certain critical details. I've done it myself, I've had a great idea for a new game when I awake at 2am, but I don't write it down and by the morning I've completely forgotten my great idea. Not only is it good for remembering things, but it's also good for planning and expediting the creation and development process. The game we are going to create in this book will be in the style of Contra in the aspect that it will be a platformer, and we will add the ability to allow playing with your friends! But that will come much later in the book. We are also going to go through the planning process...

Game design document

We will be using the following pattern when creating the game design document:

  • Title page
    • Game name: Adesa
  • Game overview
    • Game concept: A game such as Contra, 2D Platform shooter. The player is a cartoon Space Soldier who was launched into space after his ship exploded.
    • Genre: Platformer shoot 'em up.
    • Target audience: Young children to adults (the game will not contain any graphic violence).
    • Game flow summary: The game will be a side scroller and the player will be controlled via touch controls, both in the game and in the menu.
    • Look and feel: 8-bit 2D goodness.
  • Gameplay
    • Game progression: Level by level, no player upgrades
    • Mission/challenge structure: Locate lost equipment → find a way off the planet
    • Puzzle structure: NA
    • Objectives: What are the objectives of the game?

      Find lost equipment

      Hunt for food after finding destroyed rations

      Escape inhabitant captivity and reclaim stolen equipment

      Reach communications relay

      Fight communications officer

      Radio home to find out crash...

Summary

In this chapter we discussed asset creation, what programs to use, as well as the best formats to use. We then had a great comparison between file type rendering to show which file type is more efficient and easier on the system. We then discussed the design aspect of game development. We took a look at a game design document, as well as level design and storyboard documents. In the next chapter, we begin development!

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • • Create a complete game with advanced techniques through the course of the book using in-depth, hands-on instructions
  • • Learn how to multi-task and improve performance optimization in your game playing experience
  • • The author, Miguel, has 11 years of iOS game development using xcode and has released over 10 games to the Apple AppStoreMaster player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls

Description

iOS is an operating system for Apple manufactured phones and tablets. Mobile gaming is one of the fastest-growing industries, and compatibility with iOS is now becoming the norm for game developers. SpriteKit is part of the native SDK from Apple, and enables developers to make simple entry into game development without unnecessary overhead and a long learning process. SpriteKit also provides other functionality that is useful for games, including basic sound playback support and physics simulation. In addition, Xcode provides built-in support for SpriteKit so that you can create complex special effects and texture atlases directly in Xcode. This combination of framework and tools makes SpriteKit a good choice for games and other apps that require similar kinds of animation. Become a master in iOS game development through this fast and fun guide! In the beginning, we’ll tell you everything you need to plan and design your game. You’ll then start developing your game through step-by-step instructions using the various built-in technologies of Xcode. From there on, we discuss how to deploy your game to the iOS App Store, as well as monetizing it to make more revenue. You will also learn advanced techniques to improve your game playing experience, including better multi-tasking, improved performance optimization, battery management, and more. To end the book off, we’ll show you how to update your game with different features, then port the update to the App Store.

Who is this book for?

This book is for those who have created an iOS game already and want to hone their skills. A reasonable level of knowledge and an understanding of the core elements and applications would be helpful.

What you will learn

  • Blast off and start developing fun games
  • Optimize the assets for the best performance in the game app
  • Master player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls
  • Perform bug Squashing by testing and debugging
  • Design interesting various characters and enemies for your game
  • Test your game on both, the simulator on the computer and on real devices
  • Tweak and fine tune the code and graphics before the release of your app
  • Uncover some awesome new gameplay by adding in multiplayer elements, to get more people playing together
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Turkey

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$12.95

Premium delivery 3 - 6 business days

$34.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Dec 29, 2015
Length: 228 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783554355
Vendor :
Apple
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Turkey

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$12.95

Premium delivery 3 - 6 business days

$34.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Dec 29, 2015
Length: 228 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783554355
Vendor :
Apple
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 136.97
Mastering iOS Game Development
$48.99
iOS 9 Game development Essentials
$38.99
iOS Game Development By Example
$48.99
Total $ 136.97 Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

9 Chapters
1. What to Expect in Xcode and Game Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Creating the Stuff Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Blast Off! Starting with Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Let's Keep Going! Adding More Functionality Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Bug Squashing – Testing and Debugging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Making Our Game More Efficient Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Deploying and Monetizing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. It's Too Dangerous to Go Alone, Take a Friend! Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
(1 Ratings)
5 star 100%
4 star 0%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Sladan Feb 01, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn or improve their game development skills on the iOS platform. The book is well written and the author does a great job at explaining the different concepts of game development, including all the steps needed for releasing the game on the App Store.I do believe that you should have some prior experience in order to get the most out of this book, readers without any programming knowledge might find it a bit tough to follow. So if you have some experience and want to learn more about iOS game development, this book could be a great starting point. It certainly was for me.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela